Belen, NM to Artesia, NM is 248.1 miles and takes about 5h via 2nd Street and I 25 Business, with a fuel budget near $35 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Desert Southwest, connecting two points in New Mexico. Expect a mixed driving experience with stretches on both highway and surface roads. With only one recommended stop and a manageable duration, this route is well-suited for a single-day excursion if you're looking to cover ground efficiently within the state.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
124 miles from Belen, NM
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 2h 27m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
2nd Street
107.3 mi
2h 18m
I 25 Business
50.6 mi
51m
US 70
43.5 mi
52m
Southeast Main Street
26.4 mi
30m
Relief Route
8 mi
11m
Roswell Highway
7.1 mi
8m
North 1st Street
2 mi
2m
North Main Street
1.9 mi
3m
Longest stretch:
2nd Street
— 107.3 mi, about 2h 18m
Traffic on I-25
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~439 veh/hr typical
· worst 653
Quietest
1 AM
~47 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.3×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 50 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Belen, NM and Artesia, NM.
1
Start on West Reinken Avenue
44 ft·6 sec·West Reinken Avenue
2
Turn right onto I 25 Business
1.9 mi·3 min·North Main Street
3
Keep slight left at fork onto I 25 Business
51 mi·51 min·I 25 Business
4
Take the exit
0.6 mi·56 sec
Toward San Antonio
5
Continue on I-25
0.3 mi·29 sec·I-25
6
Continue on US 380
107 mi·2 hr 18 min·2nd Street
7
At end of road, turn left onto US 70; US 380
43 mi·52 min·US 70; US 380
8
Turn right onto US 285 Truck
8.0 mi·11 min·Relief Route
9
Turn right onto US 285
26 mi·30 min·Southeast Main Street
10
Continue on US 285
7.1 mi·8 min·Roswell Highway
11
Continue on US 285
2.0 mi·2 min·North 1st Street
12
Turn right onto US 82
0.3 mi·33 sec·West Main Street
13
Arrive at destination
US 82
Trip Plan
Given the 5-hour travel time, starting your drive from Belen in the morning is advisable to ensure you reach Artesia with daylight to spare. The route has only one recommended stop, so plan your breaks accordingly, perhaps around the halfway point or when you transition to different road types. Keep an eye on your fuel, especially as you approach the 107.3-mile stretch on 2nd Street, as services might be less frequent. The $35 fuel estimate is a good baseline for planning your budget for this 248.1-mile trip.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 124 miles from Belen, NM, or about 2h 27m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 107.3 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 55 miles or 58m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 124 miles or 2h 27m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 6m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Artesia, NM than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Belen, NM so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Belen, NM
This is one driving day of about 248.1 miles and 5h.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 55 miles from Belen, NM.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on 2nd Street for about 107.3 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 6
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 247.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip|~0m in|I 25 Business / North Main Street
Turn right onto I 25 Business / North Main Street
Navigation decision point
4
1.9 mi into trip|~3m in|I 25 Business
Keep slight left at fork onto I 25 Business
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
4
52.5 mi into trip|~55m in
Take the exit toward San Antonio
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward San Antonio
4
160.7 mi into trip|~3h 15m in|US 70; US 380
At end of road, turn left onto US 70; US 380
Navigation decision point
4
247.8 mi into trip|~4h 59m in|US 82 / West Main Street
Turn right onto US 82 / West Main Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$34.44 one way
$68.88 round trip
$3.53/gal25.4 MPG avg87 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$3.95
$38.53
$77.07
premium
$4.29
$41.89
$83.79
diesel
$4.80
$46.85
$93.69
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$34
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$59–$84
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 86.8 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $26 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
74.4
0
$26.05
$11.91
Efficient EV
62
0
$21.71
$9.92
EV Truck/SUV
99.2
1
$34.73
$15.88
Gas CO2
87 kg
EV CO2
29 kg (67% less)
Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Jul 18, 2026
Origin
Belen, NM
Late night
in Belen on Sunday
Local time
12:38 AM
MDT
Current temp
62°F
Mostly Cloudy
SE 5 mph9% chanceLive forecast
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued July 18 at 3:13AM MDT until July 18 at 6:00PM MDT by NWS Albuquerque NM
Destination
Artesia, NM
Late night
in Artesia on Sunday
Local time
12:38 AM
MDT
Current temp
67°F
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms
S 10 mph26% chanceLive forecast
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued July 18 at 3:13AM MDT until July 18 at 6:00PM MDT by NWS Albuquerque NM
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
5 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
5h on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This 248.1-mile drive features a 38% highway share, meaning you'll spend a good portion of the time on major roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 107.3 miles, primarily on 2nd Street, which can feel like a long haul without many exits. Expect a mix of highway cruising and surface road driving, transitioning from faster travel to more local routes as you progress towards Artesia.
38% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 107.3 mi on 2nd Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near I 25 Business / North Main Street.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 5h drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (I 25 Business / North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.9 miles (I 25 Business): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 52.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Elevation Profile
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
6,214 ft3,388 ft
Total Climb
1,963 ft
Total Descent
3,382 ft
Highest Point
6,214 ft
~141.9 mi in
Elevation Range
2,826 ft
Notable High Points
6,035 ft at ~88.7 miles+403 ft prominence
6,214 ft at ~141.9 miles+318 ft prominence
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Belen, NM to Artesia, NM, road signs begin pointing toward San Antonio along the way.
Belen is a town in central New Mexico, 30 miles south of Albuquerque. Belen was founded in 1740 as a small Spanish settlement. Nearly a century ago the town became the center of railroad operations in New Mexico, creating its nickname "The Hub City".
The longest stretch is about 107.3 miles on 2nd Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 6 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. There are 6 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NM can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (I 25 Business / North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.9 miles (I 25 Business): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 52.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Not recommended in a single day. At 5.0 hours each way, a round trip means 10.0 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Artesia, NM before the return drive.
